Hornets' streak snapped

Saturday

Jan 19, 2013 at 9:00 AM

By Ed Patinoed.patino@hillsdale.netERIE — The Hillsdale High School boys basketball team couldn't have asked for a better start. It would prefer to forget the finish.The Hornets were unable to hang on to a second half lead and saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end Friday with a 51-46 loss to the Erie Mason Eagles in a Lenawee County Athletic Association game Friday evening.Hillsdale (9-2, 5-2 LCAA) also fell out of a first-place tie in the conference standings. The Hornets will host LCAA-leading Dundee next Friday."That becomes a must-win for us now, or we could be down two games without a chance to play them again," Hillsdale coach Brad Felix said. "We need to shake things up a bit, because Monday I thought we looked a bit complacent at practice, and we didn't play that good Tuesday. We need to get back and fix some things and take the mindset of being more aggressive."The Hornets came out of the blocks fast, scoring the game's first 11 points and building a 15-3 lead. Just like Tuesday's game against Ida, the Hornets began to go cold from the floor in the second quarter. However, strong defense kept Hillsdale in front 22-9 entering halftime.Hillsdale stretched its lead to 16 early in the third quarter, but Erie Mason (8-3, 4-2 LCAA) began to make its comeback, hitting several key shots and forcing the Hornets into misses and turnovers.The Eagles took the lead midway through the fourth quarter and held off the Hornets down the stretch."They got more aggressive at both ends of the floor and made plays," Felix said. "Just the opposite happened to us, and we went into a shell. We got on our heels defensively and started to play not to lose instead of to win."Jimmy Chase finished with 21 points and three assists to lead Hillsdale. Brandon Bisher added 11 points, while Patrick Drews and Zach VanOrman each pulled down 12 rebounds.Tyler Maxwell and Jacob Skaggs both scored 14 points to lead Erie Mason.The Hornets will look to avenge their loss to Dundee next Friday. The Vikings defeated Hillsdale 54-46 on Dec. 14.Reading 50, Springport 32A surge in the middle two quarters lifted the Reading High School boys basketball team to a big road victory over the Springport Spartans in a Big Eight Conference game Friday.Reading (4-6, 1-4 Big Eight) took care of the ball more effectively, committing a season-low eight turnovers. The Rangers broke a 10-10 tie in the second quarter and built up a 25-18 lead at halftime. Reading put the game out of reach with a 17-6 run in the third quarter."We've been trying to get better with each game, and cutting down on turnovers was the big thing for us," Reading coach Brett Kerspilo said. "Our defense has been good all year, and tonight we finally got some balls to start dropping. I'm happy with the team effort."Dylan Ash scored 16 points to lead the Rangers, while Alex Simmons added 15 points and five rebounds. Cody Kafer grabbed five rebounds and forced four steals and Matt Poublon had four steals. Devin Higley finished with six points and seven assists.Reading will host Concord for another Big Eight game Jan. 25Concord 58, Jonesville 55The Jonesville High School boys basketball team led for all but the final 1:20 of the fourth quarter, but it was the host Concord Yellow Jackets rallying for a Big Eight Conference victory Friday.Jonesville (3-7, 1-3 Big Eight) held a three-point lead after the first quarter, but matched baskets with the Yellow Jackets in a high-scoring second quarter to take a 29-26 lead into halftime.The teams combined for 38 points in the third quarter as the Comets continued to hold the lead, but Concord used a 13-7 spurt in the fourth quarter to make the comeback."We missed a few shots and Concord had more of an inside presence in the fourth quarter," Jonesville coach Larry Sheerer said. "We had some good looks but didn't finish."Kyle Jones scored 11 points to lead the Comets. Ben Ackerson had 10 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Brandon Jenkins added nine points. Kyler Gimenez scored eight points and Caleb Taylor had seven points and three rebounds. Wesley Racker finished with six points and Aaron Cleveland forced three steals.Jonesville travels to Athens on Tuesday.Will Carleton 48, Pansophia Academy 18A fast start and a strong defensive effort lifted the Will Carleton Academy boys basketball team to a big home victory over the Coldwater Pansophia Academy Pumas on Friday.Will Carleton (6-5) opened the game on an 18-4 run in the opening quarter, then extended its lead to 29-11 by halftime. The Cougars began the second half with a 16-2 run and coasted the rest of the way.Ben Baxter recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars."Ben had an excellent night and that's an encouraging sign," Will Carleton coach Brian Clark said. "We were focused on our execution and playing solid defense."Dane Williams scored eight points, while Chase Harrington added six points. Joel Wheeler finished with six points, five assists and four steals.The Cougars will host Marshall Academy on Jan. 25.

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